Sky Blues quiet on Arnold's poaching

WINNER: Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold has been told he's on a short list to manage the Socceroos, but he doesn't know whether his club will allow it.DAVID MOIR

GRAHAM Arnold's immediate future is up in the air with no feedback from his Sydney FC club about Football Australia's approach for him to potentially coach the Socceroos.

FFA finally told Arnold on Thursday night he was on a short list to replace Ange Postecoglou.

The 54-year-old tried to call Sydney's chairman Scott Barlow, who last month said the Sky Blues would fight any attempt by the governing body to hire Arnold a year before his A-League club contract was up.

"He was in Russia on an aeroplane,” Arnold said.

"I tried to contact him and had trouble with it, so I contacted (chief executive) Danny Townsend straightaway and told him.

"I informed my players straightaway as well.”

In December Barlow insisted Sydney had not prepared a position or made contingency plans in the event of a formal approach from FFA.

After speaking with Townsend, Arnold said he

was still none the wiser as

to his club's possible

reaction.

"I haven't spoke to them at the moment,” he said.

"The contact from FFA was all around the process and what they're doing.

"I'm very honoured and flattered to be one of the five or six candidates that they wanted to inform or speak to.

"Those details about the process I can't reveal. FFA need to reveal them.”

As it stands, FFA is appearing to target big-name foreign coaches, at least for